The importance of creativity

By Max Wyman, Vancouver Sun
February 3, 2010

Re: Games’ cultural legacy will disappear if arts funding cuts continue, Jan. 29

Bravo to Miro Cernetig for bringing the economic case for arts and culture funding to the attention of The Sun’s readers.

The social benefits of involvement with arts and culture are well documented: They help build community spirit and inter-cultural understanding, improve individual health and even contribute to crime reduction. As Vancouver Symphony Orchestra music director Bramwell Tovey told Cernetig, “Arts funding is not a grant. It’s an investment.” We are also coming to realize what a significant contribution arts and culture make to education. A worldwide movement is under way, at UNESCO and elsewhere, to relocate the arts and creative activity at the heart of the educational curriculum. A curriculum that promotes the use of the imagination -right-brain thinking -alongside the left-brain “basics” not only helps develop the fully rounded individual but prepares learners for a future that will depend as much on ingenuity and the imagination as on physical resources. Studies such as those undertaken by Simon Fraser University’s Imaginative Education Research Group, a world leader in new thinking about ways to teach, show that when students’ imaginations are engaged, educational performance inevitably improves.

Max Wyman

Past president,

Canadian Commission for UNESCO,

Lions Bay

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Games’ cultural legacy will disappear if arts funding cuts continue

By Miro Cernetig, Vancouver Sun
January 29, 2010

It’s good news Bramwell Tovey will stay another five years conducting the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The maestro took over a faltering orchestra, steered it to a Grammy, a critically acclaimed tour through China and proved classical music has a place in Vancouver’s cultural life.

Similarly positive is the success of the Cultural Olympiad, the dozens of cultural events surrounding the 2010 Olympics.

Some its notable events are the upcoming Blue Dragon by Robert Lepage, the Vancouver Opera’s Canadian premier of Nixon in China and dozens of others performances making the Olympics about more than gold medals.

It’s all planting the seeds for a cultural legacy. But will it all evaporate after the Games leave town?

Possibly so.

As most people know, when the world economy hit the rocks last year, the provincial government took the scalpel to arts funding, cutting some grants by 90 per cent. The bean counters in Victoria deemed the deep cuts a fast way to lighten the deficit.

At the moment, the bureaucrats in finance seem to be continuing with that strategy. The expectation — and fear — in the B.C. arts community is the next provincial budget, due out shortly after the Olympics is over, will continue with the $19 million in cuts to arts funding, hitting the slim operating budgets of galleries, theatre groups and orchestras from Victoria to Dawson Creek, and everywhere in between. It’s a serious policy error on both political and economic grounds.

Read the entire article here.

A Letter to the Premier from the Metro Vancouver Board

December 30, 2009

The Honourable Gordon Campbell
Premier of British Columbia
PO Box 9041 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC V8W 9E1

Dear Premier Campbell:

Re: Provincial Cutbacks to Cultural Services

At its meeting of October 30, 2009, the Metro Vancouver Board expressed concern over arts funding levels in British Columbia. As a result, I write on behalf of the Board Members to communicate their uneasiness at the proposed provincial cutbacks to cultural services and in particular cultural funding grants.

I am sure we all agree that culture is a crucial component of our communities. Culture animates our neighbourhoods and provides opportunities for people of all ethnic and social backgrounds to share and interact. Cultural producers contribute to our economy by generating the new ideas and practices that creative enterprises incorporate in order to produce content and other
competitive products.

Culture also contributes to the economic viability and sustainability of our communities and the Directors of the Board of Metro Vancouver are concerned that the cuts, which are proposed by the Province, could have serious economic and social impacts affecting each and every municipality.

I am informed that in 2006, the total operating revenue for the performing arts in Canada encompassing theatre, dance, music and opera reached $1.2 billion. Of that amount, 42% was generated by ticket sales to 12.9 million audience members who attended performing arts events.

I am also told that the cultural sector as a whole is estimated to contribute $84.6 billion to Canada’s GDP. The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts’ website notes that the province makes its cultural investment back in direct taxes at a rate of 138%. In addition, the Province of BC estimates that for every dollar invested in the arts, the arts organizations in turn generate $1.36 in economic activity.

The Arts and Culture Division of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts is authorized to develop and administer government policies and programs that support a vital and sustainable arts and culture sector. The Board members of Metro Vancouver are concerned that the proposed cuts will stifle continued support for all art forms.

On November 13, 2009, the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services recommended that arts funding be restored to 2008-09 levels in British Columbia. We trust that you will consider this request as we urge the government to adopt the recommendations.

Yours truly,

Original signed by:
Lois E. Jackson
Chair, Metro Vancouver Board

(see Alliance site for original letter)

Faces of the Arts in BC

Several BC communities have shown their support for the arts with these wonderful photo messages. The Face of the Arts idea began in Golden, BC this fall. We’re posting these photos and their instructions on how to run your own Face of the Arts photo shoot below.

Golden BC kicks off Face of the Arts

The idea was picked up again on Gabriola Island …

Gabriola Island residents show their support

Rebecca Coleman has also contributed an excellent blog piece on Art of the Business that shows how the cuts have already had a direct impact on several organizations.

These photos were taken by The Social Utilities at the Wrecking Ball on November 23rd at the Vogue in Vancouver.

The Social Utilities are: Caroline Liffman, Tanya Podlozniuk, Gina Readman, Aliya Griffin, Caroline Sniatynski and Adrienne Wong.

Take a look at the whole series in this slideshow.

Here is a call-to-action from the Kicking Horse Culture advocacy page about how you can put a face to the arts in your community with this very effective photo initiative:

What you can do:

Invite to communities and arts orgs all around the province:

All you need is a white board and a digital camera and a Flickr account via Yahoo (it’s free).

1. Take the photos at your events. Our audience loved it!

2. Export the images from your camera into your photo software program… we’re using iPhoto.

3. iPhoto links directly to Flickr. With other software, just follow Flickr’s FAQ to upload.

4. That’s it!

May we suggest thay you name your Flickr account “Face of the arts in (your town name here) BC” That way, when one does a search in Flickr, it will be very evident how many communities have joined in.

Utilize all the tools available to Restore Arts Funding Now

There are several ways for you to lend your support to the arts in BC. Here is one more that is gathering a lot of momentum. Please help circulate this petition, and make sure to use our own easy-to-use webform to Speak Out Against BC Arts Cuts:

Arts Victoria’s Petition in Support of the Arts here.

This petition will be presented to the Legislature when the house resumes sitting in February. As budget decisions will be made between now and then, we will be making interim reports on the progress of the petition to media, and are asking that completed sheets be returned by December 14, January 14 and February 7.

Right on the money

ArtsCutsMemos – keep sending reminders to Restore Arts Funding Now

A wonderful submission by Megan Allenby today.

Arts Cuts Memo Call to Action:

This is our BC-wide collection of creative “memos” to the BC government, reminding them to restore arts funding now!

Let’s show them how creatively British Columbia can demand restoration of the modest but crucial funding that fuels our arts institutions, festivals, homegrown music, literature, art and performance, and cultural activities for both adults and children.

We’re asking people across the province to take part and do three things:

1. use sticky notes (multi-coloured or yellow) to create something visually interesting that will be a memo about the BC arts cuts.

2. incorporate the words “restore arts funding now” somewhere in the piece you make. And we definitely welcome a sense of humour.

3. take a photo of your piece, join our flickr group and send the photo to that group pool. If you don’t have a flickr account, please send the photo to artscutsmemo@yahoo.com.

Please have some fun with this. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece to send the message to the government that the people of BC want arts funding restored.

We also want to leave the option open that a person could simply write “give funding back to the arts” and stick it to their mayor’s door.

NOTE: when taking a photo of your memo, here are a few tips toward getting a good image:

1. stick the notes to a nice background.
2. if possible, use natural light rather than a flash. Try to avoid glare on your image.
3. step in close to your image. Fill the frame completely with your subject and keep extraneous elements (furniture, etc) out of the frame unless they’re intentional.

Thanks for all your submissions. We will be announcing contest details shortly.

Advocacy Update

Dear artists and arts supporters.

I want to first of all thank all of you for your work in the last several weeks to communicate your thoughts and arguments and your support for the arts and cultural sector through your curtain speeches, letters, rallies, presentations and general advocacy work. The arts community has come together with its boards, stakeholders and communities like never before, and we have been heard. This was very clear in our meeting with the Minister of Tourism Arts and Culture on Nov 30th, here at our Alliance offices, and by the unanimous recommendation of the Standing Committee on Finance. Congratulations!

It is clear that support for the arts is not a partisan issue and that there is strong support throughout this province and from many sectors. We are a powerful constituency. Culture Matters and Creativity Counts for British Columbians.

Part of our success thus far is in having a diversity of approaches to advocacy and communication and in remaining civil and professional in our dealings.

Articulate and careful presentations were made to the Standing Committee across the province and we have remained calm and civil in our dealings with government. This strategy has been effective, as we have heard from government, our colleagues and the community. It is important, moving forward, that we continue to engage our communities in showing their support for the Standing Committee’s recommendations, in a non-partisan, clear and respectful manner. We need the Premier to hear us and to encourage him to take his Committee’s advice; there is no shame in doing the right thing.

Within the next few days, the Alliance Advocacy Committee chair, Sandy Garossino, will provide a report on this meeting and suggestions for moving forward. With your continuing help, our Alliance will continue its work on your behalf.

Thank you

Amir Ali Alibhai
Executive Director

Toolkit for Community and Individual Protest

© Wayne

Vancouver artists and arts supporters took a metaphorical Wrecking Ball to the BC government’s devastating cuts to arts funding at the Vogue Theatre the night of November 23 in an evening of satirical protest, and the Alliance for Arts and Culture took the opportunity to introduce a province-wide campaign, Creativity Counts: Restore Arts Funding Now, as its contribution to the groundswell of arts community protests against the devastating cuts in provincial arts funding this past fall.

This site is a toolkit for community and individual protest.

To begin letting Gordon Campbell and his government know that you expect arts funding to be restored immediately to 2008/2009 levels:

1) Follow the “Make Your Voice Heard” link to your right and send an email protest to the premier, finance and arts and culture ministers and your own MLA;

2) Review the four components under “The Advocacy Toolkit” and adapt them for your own personal or organization protest;

3) Volunteer to distribute “Creativity Counts: Restore Arts Funding Now” buttons, postcards and bookmarks at local arts venues and collect donations to the Alliance Advocacy Fund. Email Alliance director of communications Kevin Dale McKeown at communications@allianceforarts.com to express your interest, and he will get back to you.

4) Contact Kevin to inquire about receiving templates of those buttons, postcards and bookmarks that you can adapt for your own community use;

5) Consider featuring the Creativity Counts logo (design courtesy of our friends at Hamazki Wong Marketing Group) as a hotlink button on your own website and social media pages. Email Kevin and he will provide you with the button’s html code and some accompanying text.

6) Donate to the Alliance’s Advocacy Fund. Buttons and postcards and bookmarks all cost money. Your support will keep this campaign going. There is a PayPal account for this purpose, or you can send a cheque payable to the Alliance for Arts and Culture to 100 – 938 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1N9 (note “Advocacy” in the memo line).

What do we hope to achieve with your help?

We have only a few more weeks in which to influence discussions and decisions around the budget that will be brought down in early March. A relentless drumbeat of protest, letters, emails and community-based activism will ensure that the decision makers in Victoria hear our message loud and clear right up to the last moment.

Creativity Counts.

Restore Arts Funding Now.

Next up: The Wrecking Ball at the Vogue

Vogue Theatre
918 Granville Street
Mon. Nov. 23, 2009
8:00pm

By donation

Canada’s leading Theatre Artists take on the BC government from Coast to Coast

Vancouver’s theatre community joins actors, directors and designers from across the country in creative and satirical protest to the BC government’s mind-boggling and short-sighted plan to slash 90% of cultural funding, which will make it the only jurisdiction in Canada not to invest in culture.

In 2008, during the federal election, Wrecking Ball events across Canada helped turn the tide of public opinion against the Harper governments planned culture cuts, and prevented a Harper majority.

This time, events across Canada throughout the month of November will highlight the devastating arts cuts announced by the BC government in their September budget update. Vancouver’s Wrecking Ball features some of Canada’s most nationally and internationally recognized actors and directors, including multiple award-winning actor/playwrights Daniel MacIvor and Linda Griffiths, Leacock-winning writer Mark Leiren Young, and Alcan Award winner Carmen Aguirre.

Original member of the Nylons and BC Walk of Fame member Denis Simpson will host.

Margaret Atwood asks, “What is it that power-hungry politicians want from BC artists? Control over the story through the annihilation of the former story-tellers? Is this the agenda behind the decapitation of arts funding in British Columbia, while mega-millions are poured into the Olympics? The BC arts community will retaliate, of course. Over the past 50 years they’ve put BC on the map.”

“It won’t just be a protest,” adds Wrecking Ball Spokesperson Adrienne Wong. “It’ll be a night to laugh and celebrate what we know – that British Columbians care about culture.

“And it’s not just arts and culture,” Wong adds. “Cuts to Gaming investments in many sectors indicate to us that this government is looking for ways to subsidize its corporate welfare, low-tax environment on the backs of civil society organizations that provide essential services to British Columbians. It seems that they don’t think much of places culture and sport and places where people come together for reasons other than profit. They call it a frill. We call it democracy.”

Click here for further details.